1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dental spray handpiece, consisting of a gripping sleeve having a media inlet connection at one end thereof and a media discharge outlet at its other end, the gripping sleeve having media conduits arranged therein which extend from the media inlet connection to the media discharge outlet and discharge media outwardly therefrom, whereby the media conduit has an electrical heating installation associated therewith for heating the medium, as well as a shutoff valve which is adapted to be brought into an open position through finger-actuation.
For example, the media conduit can convey air or water or spray as a medium.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A spray handpiece of that type has become known from the disclosure of German Laid-Open Patent Appln. 29 20 009. In this known spray handpiece, for the actuation of the electrical heating device there is provided an impedance which is dependent upon the temperature of the flowing medium, and an associated signal generating element; in essence, a flow monitor, in conjunction with an electrical circuit. This arrangement is relatively complex and necessitates a considerable amount of space, so as to result in a large constructional volume for the handpiece, as a consequence of which the handling thereof is rendered more difficult.
A further spray handpiece of the above-mentioned type has become known from the disclosure of German Laid-Open Patent Appln. 32 08 666. In this known spray handpiece, a rocker arm or tilt lever mechanism is provided for the regulating of the flow of the media, which quite apparently also serves for the actuation of the electrical heating installation. This rocker-arm mechanism is relatively complicated in construction and also requires a considerable amount of space such that once again, this results in large constructional volume rendering more difficult the handling of the handpiece.